Henry Eugene Erwin Sr. (May 8, 1921 – January 16, 2002) was a United States Army Air Forces airman and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.

[1][2] Called to active duty as an aviation cadet in the Army Air Forces on February 3, 1943, he trained as a pilot in Ocala, Florida, but washed out due to "flying deficiency".

He was instead transferred to technical school at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, as a private first class in July of that year.

On April 12, 1945, Erwin, called "Red" by his crewmates, was serving as the radio operator aboard a Boeing B-29 Superfortress named City of Los Angeles, piloted by Captain George Simeral.

The plane was in formation for a low-level attack on a chemical plant at Koriyama, 120 miles (190 km) north of Tokyo, on their 11th combat mission.

Erwin's was to drop phosphorus smoke bombs through a chute in the aircraft's floor when the lead plane reached a designated assembly area.

He was given the signal to drop the bombs when the aircraft was just off the south coast of Japan and under attack by antiaircraft fire and Japanese fighters.

[2] Erwin pulled the pin and released a bomb into the chute, but the fuse malfunctioned and ignited the phosphorus prematurely, burning at 1500°F (815°C).

His face and arms were covered with ignited phosphorus, and his path was blocked by the navigator's folding table, hinged to the wall, but down and locked.

[2] The smoke cleared enough for Simeral to pull the B-29 out of a dive at 300 feet (91 m) above the water and turn toward Iwo Jima, where Erwin could be given emergency treatment.

[2] In 1997, the Air Force created the Henry E. Erwin Outstanding Enlisted Aircrew Member of the Year Award.

Erwin's official Medal of Honor citation reads: He was the radio operator of a B-29 airplane leading a group formation to attack Koriyama, Japan.

He was charged with the additional duty of dropping phosphoresce smoke bombs to aid in assembling the group when the launching point was reached.

Erwin, 1 proved faulty, exploding in the launching chute, and shot back into the interior of the aircraft, striking him in the face.